Tornado talk on agenda, snow and ice in Arkansas forecastLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The National Weather Service launched its severe weather awareness week Monday with an ominous forecast. On a day when forecasters are scheduled to review safety tips for the public in advance of the state's tornado season, Arkansas will see temperatures fall from the 60s to the 20s and see snow, sleet and freezing rain pile up. Senior forecaster John Lewis said the weeks set aside to review severe-weather tips are set...

Arkansas House supports guns on campus billLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas universities couldn't prevent faculty or staff from bringing concealed firearms to class under a proposal supported by House members. Lawmakers voted 66-25 Monday to remove an opt-out provision from a 2013 state law that let universities decide whether concealed carry licensees could bring firearms on campus. The latest bill was proposed after all 33 public institutions in the state utilized the opt-out provis...

School consolidation waivers endorsed by Arkansas HouseLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Rural school districts could be exempted from a decade-old consolidation law under a bill advanced by lawmakers. The House voted 95-0 Monday to allow school districts with fewer than 350 students to apply for a waiver from the state. Smaller districts that meet academic, fiscal and facility standards set by the state would be eligible to avoid consolidation with a nearby district. Proponents say consolidating districts...

VA report: 48 claims' dates in Little Rock alteredLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A surprise inspection of the Little Rock veterans benefits center revealed staff members marking overlooked claims — many almost 2 years old— to make them appear as if they had just been filed. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General reported the practice threatened to further delay benefits to Arkansas veterans, but it's unclear whether any claims were delayed because the Little Rock office imple...

Suspected puppy mill found outside of Jonesboro nets 31 dogsJONESBORO (AP) — County officials are investigating after a suspected puppy mill outside Jonesboro turned up 31 dogs living in a semi-trailer. The Jonesboro Sun reported that 18 of the discovered dogs were female —most of them pregnant — and 13 males were taken to a veterinary care facility, where professionals and volunteers were assessing each dog's condition Friday. Rusty Grigsby, an investigator with the Craighead County Sheriff's Departme...

North Little Rock hospital paying $2.7 million over claimsNORTH LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a hospital in North Little Rock will pay $2.7 million to settle claims that it filed improper claims under the Medicare program. Under an agreement announced Friday, Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock and a sister hospital in Little Rock also agreed to annual claims reviews for the next five years. The review is known as a corporate integrity agreement. An audit referred to the U.S....

Arkansas State University bans e-cigarettes on campusJONESBORO (AP) — Arkansas State University has banned the use of e-cigarettes on its campus. The Jonesboro Sun reported the battery-operated device was banned by the university after receiving feedback from its constituency groups. The ban, which already includes cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, was announced to students Wednesday. The groups debated the issue, and the majority decision was that it would be better for the campus environment t...

Arkansas OKs measures urging balanced budget amendmentLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Similar proposals aimed at forcing a constitutional convention for a federal balanced budget amendment advanced to the Arkansas House for a vote Friday, with opponents questioning the need for such a move. The House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee endorsed two proposals that supporters say would result in an amendment to rein in the federal government's spending and debt. The first proposal, approved 14-4, ...

White County water billing probe to remain in-houseSEARCY (AP) — Southeast White County Water Association will investigate utility billing issues in-house instead of hiring a certified public accounting firm to do the job. The board will not hire a CPA firm to investigate glitches with RVS Software's billing system concerning credit card payments for sewer collections, even though they voted Feb. 2 to make the hire, The Daily Citizen reported. Attorney Heartsill Ragon said that several CPAs to...

House OKs requiring releasing cellphone locationLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers voted Friday to require cellphone carriers to provide a user's location to police in emergencies, a move that critics said would infringe on civil liberties and could open the door to abuse by law enforcement. The bill approved by the House on a 70-8 vote would require communications carriers to release the information upon request to police so they could respond to a call for emergency services or in an e...

School officials: Coach fired for violating spending rulesNORTH LITTLE ROC (AP) — A football coach has publicly released a termination letter from the North Little Rock School District stating that he failed to follow district rules on how to handle nearly $140,000 in purchases. The letter to coach Brad Bolding admonishes him for the purchase of supplies and equipment made between late August 2013 and January 2014. Officials also reportedly stated Bolding misspent two state grants totaling about $9,0...

Court affirms class-action status in tobacco suitLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court says a lawsuit against tobacco giant Philip Morris USA can proceed under class-action status. The lawsuit seeks refunds on every pack of Marlboro Lights sold in Arkansas from 1971 to 2010. The plaintiffs claim Philip Morris, which is part of the Altria Group, deceived smokers about health risks. The justices' 6-1 decision was released Thursday. The company wants each case considered separately, say...

Lawmaker will propose execution by firing squadLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A lawmaker whose 12-year-old daughter was murdered by a man now on death row said Thursday that she will work to make the firing squad a legal execution method in Arkansas because court challenges have stalled efforts to resume the death penalty using lethal injections. Republican Rep. Rebecca Petty of Rogers said she was spurred to introduce a proposal aimed at resuming executions after a state Senate committee on Wednesday...

House supports health care termination lettersLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Legislators want to send letters to Arkansans enrolled in the state's compromise Medicaid expansion that say the program is ending. Opponents say the letters would be a waste of money. The House voted 60-32 on Thursday in favor of a bill by Republican Rep. Donnie Copeland of Little Rock that would require the state to notify all persons who enroll or re-enroll in Arkansas' "private option" that the program will end on Dec. 3...

Guns on campus measure advances in Arkansas LegislatureLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A bill to force public colleges and universities in Arkansas to allow staff and faculty to bring guns onto campus that was previously defeated found new life Thursday through the support of three Democrats. The bill expands a 2013 law that permitted guns on campus — but allowed universities to opt-out, which all 33 higher education institutions in the state did. The House Education Committee passed the reworked measure by vo...

Senate committee backs prison overhaul billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A key component of Gov. Asa Hutchinson's plan to overhaul the state prison system and reduce an inmate backlog received bipartisan support from a Senate committee Wednesday. The Judiciary Committee advanced to the full Senate a bill sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson of Benton, Asa Hutchinson's nephew. Jeremy Hutchinson said the bill will free up space in state prisons and provide better physical and mental treatment for in...

Winter weather hits Arkansas with snow; schools closeLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Schools, several businesses and a number of state offices shut down Wednesday as a half-foot of snow fell on portions of southern Arkansas. The northern half of the state, which typically sees winter weather more often, had sunshine and temperatures in the 40s. The National Weather Service at North Little Rock reported that 5 inches of snow fell in a band from Lewisville and Nashville in southwestern Arkansas to Pine Bluff i...

Federal lawsuit targeting steel mill is dismissedA federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a steel company's lawsuit against a rival, saying it couldn't use the court system to bypass state regulators who had already given the rival permission to build a new mill. U.S. District Judge Leon Holmes ruled the lawsuit by Nucor Steel seeking to halt construction of a Big River Steel mill in Osceola is not authorized under the citizen lawsuit provision of the federal Clean Air Act. He said his court h...

Panel rejects 'conscience-protection' measureLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal to prevent state and local governments from infringing on a person's religious beliefs failed before an Arkansas legislative panel Wednesday after facing mounting criticism that it was an attempt to justify discriminating against gays and lesbians. The Senate Judiciary Committee rejected the "conscience protection" measure, a day after retail giant Wal-Mart said the measure sent the wrong message about its home st...

Panel OKs eliminating death sentence as penaltyLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal to abolish the death penalty in Arkansas advanced in the Legislature on Wednesday for what will likely be a mostly symbolic vote, nearly a decade after the state last executed an inmate. The Senate Judiciary Committee, by a voice vote, endorsed a proposal to eliminate the death penalty as a sentencing option for capital murder and treason. The bill heads to the majority-Republican Senate, where it faces dim prospe...